Tuesday, January 22, 2013

CHICAGO, IL, Dec 28, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --GoHealthInsurance, the leading online exchange for individuals andfamilies to compare health insurance quotes, wants consumers to knowhow the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will affect health care in 2013.Americans will see important changes occur in health care programsand the way they can deduct medical expenses.

"The big date on everyone's mind is understandably 2014, when the ACAgoes into effect in its entirety," says Mark Colwell, Manager ofConsumer Marketing at GoHealth. "However, under the health reformlaw, 2013 brings about some key changes that Americans may not beaware of."

Here are the things that the ACA will bring about in 2013:

-- Rules change on deducting medical expenses For people who deduct medical expenses from their taxes, 2013 is going to be quite a different year than those prior. Taxpayers will only be able to deduct medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). This is a significant jump -- up until 2013, the percentage was only 7.5 percent. Effective January 1, 2013. -- More funding to state Medicaid programs States that choose to cover preventive services for patients at little or no cost will receive greater funding as of 2013. Examples of preventive services include routine vaccinations, many cancer screenings, and blood pressure and diabetes testing. Effective January 1, 2013. -- Primary care doctors guaranteed increase in Medicaid payments The ACA requires primary care physicians working with Medicaid patients to earn no less than 100 percent of associated Medicare rates. This financial incentive is meant to build primary care doctor capacity in underserved areas. Effective January 1, 2013. -- Greater funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) This popular program, which provides free or low-cost health coverage for more than 7 million children up to the age of 19, will receive two more years of funding to continue coverage for children who are not Medicaid eligible. Effective October 1, 2013. About GoHealth GoHealth and its customer-facing websiteGoHealthInsurance.com is a health insurance technology platform,working with over 100 health insurance companies and more than 10,000licensed agents across the United States. Since the company'sfounding in 2001, the GoHealth platform has helped nearly 30 millionAmericans shop and compare health insurance quotes.